title: Declarative knowledge and professional vision in teacher education: effect of courses in teaching and learning.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Teachers' professional vision includes the ability to apply general pedagogical knowledge about components of effective teaching and learning to reason about significant features of classroom practice. It requires teachers to (a) describe, (b) explain, and (c) predict classroom situations. Although the acquisition of underling knowledge can be considered as a key element of university-based teacher education programmes, to date, there has been little empirical research on teacher candidates' development of professional vision.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to improve understanding of how different university-based courses in teaching and learning impact the development of professional vision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were teacher candidates (N= 53) attending the same teacher education programme at a German university. They were enrolled in one of three different compulsory courses in teaching and learning, lasting one semester.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a pre-test-post-test design, participants' declarative knowledge about teaching and learning was measured with a test, professional vision with the online tool Observer. Analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of variance were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Teacher candidates in all three courses showed significant gains both in declarative knowledge and professional vision. Patterns of results differed depending on the course attended. A video-based course with a focus on effective teaching resulted in highest gains in prediction of the consequences of observed events for student learning processes, which is the highest level of knowledge transfer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The development of professional vision is a strongly knowledge-guided process. In line with their content and aims, university-based courses can enhance teaching-relevant knowledge for teacher candidates.
authors.affiliation: School of Education, Technische Universität München, Germany. kathleen.stuermer@tum.de
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stürmer
authors.forename: Karen D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Könings
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Seidel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011361:Professional Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult